


A Hunter's Deal

by tryingherbestpacito



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, I was bored so I posted this, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Its Angst with a Happy Ending I Promise, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Original Story - Freeform, Other, Steampunk, because iv'e got it, no beta we die like men, who wants your local crack fic author to give you angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 12:44:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20340304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryingherbestpacito/pseuds/tryingherbestpacito
Summary: Hunters are not good. As surely as the sun sets in the west and there are stars in the sky, this is merely another known fact. Apparently this child didn't get the fucking message.An original work about how two of my characters first met





	A Hunter's Deal

**Author's Note:**

> HI guys! You probably know me from Diamonds in the Rough and other ones iv'e written, and i decided to share this one of my own. I know it probably won't get as many reads but hey, I like it a lot and i hope ya'll do too!
> 
> Enjoy!

Malachi Alois was not a good man. He of all people knew this fact the best. Of course, not many people would describe a bounty hunter as  _ good _ , well at their job perhaps but certainly not in character. Those who  _ were _ described as such were few and far between and Malachi definitely wasn’t one of them. But he’d made his peace with this fact long ago with the universe or god or whatever deity he had to, willing to face whatever eternal damnation he’d certainly get on that final judgement day. In the meantime however, he’d continue doing his job and drink away his feelings whenever the rare case of guilt popped up. It’s not that he  _ liked _ his job, not many in his line of work could honestly say they did. Well some did, but those were usually the ones who would take kills for scraps. Only kills. Malachi wasn’t a good man but he certainly wasn’t the worst either and he clung to this reassurance, a dying light in his dark world.

The day was bright and clear, not that you’d be able to tell from the layer of smog and steam covering the streets of Old New England. Yes it was quite the lovely day, perfect for a hunt, which is was Malachi was currently trying to do. Emphasis on the _trying_. His grizzled features blended him in perfectly with the tired looking masses, hiding him from any who might be searching for him. Still, he avoided the outposts and the police officers with their metal dogs, just to be on the safe side. As he sidled down alleyways and small streets to a vendor’s stall that could serve him some decent coffee, he went over the information given to him by his latest client in his head, rubbing at the stubble on his jaw absently.

_ Female,  _ very _ young, blonde, blue eyed. That’s about it _ he thought to himself  _ I should have asked for more information. A photo maybe. Rule number five you idiot. Do your research _ . He gave a sigh, swishing the muddy coffee in his flask around and wincing at the bitter taste when he took a swig. He tried not to think about _ why _ the client wanted such a person found. Basic bounty hunter rule number four: Don’t ask questions. Luckily the man was willing to pay 35 silver scraps for her. Unluckily however, the client had also lost her in one of the biggest, goddamn motherFU- point is, such a small thing would be hard to find in a city as large as Old New England. He chugged the rest of his coffee and began his search.

Malachi was very good at his job, but it still took him about 3 days to track down the target. It was a stroke of luck that he’d spotted a flash of dirty yellow in some dimly lit alley. Now it was only a matter of getting her to come with him. He paced outside the entrance, trying to come up with a way to approach his target, if she even  _ was _ the right one, without getting officers called on him. He tugged at his long brown hair in frustration. He knew his height intimidated most adults, which was great when he needed to look scary for a job, but trying to capture a child with his tallness? Not exactly the best of ideas.  _ Just play it off. _ He huffed to himself  _ Be casual, friendly. Be nice and smile! _ He froze.  _ HOW DO YOU ACT FRIENDLY??? I KILL PEOPLE FOR A LIVING FOR STENME’S SAKE!! _ He gave a small groan and thumped his head against the stone wall softly in defeat.  _ Nice. You can take on a fully armed guard down in a few seconds and are completely rendered useless by a tiny child in an alley- _

“Are you okay??” a quiet voice asked. His eyes flew open  _ No way. It can’t be that easy. _ He glanced over at the tiny figure beside him, staring at the man with big blue eyes. His mind went blank for a few moments at the realization that his target was  _ right there _ , literally  _ right _ next to him. He realized the panic that must have shown on his face and mentally berated himself. _ Rule number three!! No emotions unless needed! _ With the grace of a practiced actor, he switched into a sheepish smile and straightened himself up, brushing off his dark cloak of invisible dirt.

“I’m fine” he started before hesitating “Well, actually…” he gave her a troubled look as if worried about something “Do you happen to know of a man named Sloan?” The light skinned girl paled even more at the mention of the name and Malachi celebrated on the inside.  _ Gotcha. _ Before she had the chance to run down the alley she’d came from, he grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her out of view of the sidewalk they were on. Fortunately for him, they were in a pretty dark and quiet part of the city so he didn’t have to worry about getting caught. “Geez kid” he laughed, kind demeanor falling away like a second skin “You really gave me a run for my pay. Took me  _ forever _ to track you down~” the girl stood trembling and terrified under him. He allowed himself a better look just in case she managed to escape, not likely, but you never could let your guard down around children.

Just like the description said, she was young, maybe around 5 or 6, light blue eyes that seemed older than she looked and matted, dirty golden hair. What used to be a white dress, now tattered, torn and filthy from the city, draped over her scrawny form and he could tell she probably hadn’t had a proper meal or nap in a while. Her pale skin was dotted with bruising fingerprints and as she tugged at the collar of her dress nervously, his sharp eyes noticed what he sincerely hoped were just more fingerprints marking her neck and trailing under the fabric.

“You’re a bounty hunter” she breathed out softly, not as a question, but a statement. There was no hiding it now so he shrugged and nodded

“Yeah. I am.” Although he had to hide it from authorities and most people, Malachi had no shame about his job, he had to put food on the table too, just like any steam worker. The small girl straightened up and a glint of defiance and determination filled her eyes.

“I want you to kill him” she declared, voice so soft but still so loud in the empty alley.  _ Eh? _ Malachi was so shocked that he didn’t even bother trying to hide his surprise at the vicious request he’d just received.

“Huh?” he blurted out, almost letting go of the girl in his disbelief  _ She can’t be serious. _

“I want you to kill him” she repeated, standing firm in her decision.  _ Holy shit she’s dead serious _ “My uncle. The one who paid you to find me. He’s a bad man. Candy always said our lives would be better if he’d just dropped dead-”

“Hang on a minute kid” he sputtered “I can’t just go around killing my own clients, no matter how bad” she dug into her dress and the man tensed, preparing for a weapon to be pulled on him. Instead, the girl pulled out a small leather pouch and held it up to him to take

“I’ll pay you” she promised, hope glinting in her eyes. Malachi sighed and poured the meager contents into his palm. The few copper scraps were no doubt her entire life savings but nowhere near enough for a job.

“Hahhhh… look kiddo” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly “I’m not sure if you know this but, a kill job is hella expensive, even for the unimportant ones. Double if it’s a current client.”

“How much?” she asked as Malachi poured the money back into the pouch and handed it back to her

“uhm.. 15 gold scraps? For you it’d be double sooo… 30 scraps…” he explained and her face fell with disappointment.

“Oh. I see” she murmured and Malachi tried to suppress the feeling of guilt bubbling up.  _ Rule number three!! Rule number three!! _

“Sorry ‘bout that kid” he sighed and glanced down at her warily “You’re not gonna try to run off on me are you? Please don’t make my job even harder” She seemed to consider the idea before finally shaking her head

“I probably wouldn’t get very far” she wiggled her bare toes sticking out of her worn slippers to further prove her point. Malachi gave her a small smile and grabbed her hand to make sure she couldn’t run off anyway

“Thanks” He led her out of the street towards the designated drop off, tiny feet pitter-pattering after him quietly. They walked down the road in silence, awkward tension hanging between them darkly. He made his way over to a telegraph booth and pushed the small girl gently inside before him. “Do me a favor kid? Can you crank that?” he gestured to the wheel that heated the water powering the machine. She made her way over and after a few seconds of confusion, figured out how to spin the device. He quickly tapped out a message to his client and couldn’t help but give a soft smile when he noticed how eagerly the child spun the wheel. He swiftly wiped the emotion off his face and put the walls back up.  _ Basic rule number two: No attachments. Pull yourself together Mal _ . He slowed down the wheel and took her hand again, leading the both of them back out. The tension seemed to get even darker after that small shared moment.

They walked some more and as the sun began to dip in the sky, lighting up the brass and steel around them, Malachi realized they’d need a place to stay the night. Already the young girl was slowing down and yawning more and more often.  _ It’s getting late and she probably hasn’t gotten a good night’s rest since running off either. _ He gave a small sigh and began steering them towards a nearby inn. He paid for their room, one without windows and on the second floor, never once letting go of his target. Only once they were inside their room did he finally risk to drop her hand. The girl looked around the room nervously

“Where are we?” she asked quietly. Malachi raised an eyebrow in confusion

“Um. An inn??” he responded “You look like you haven’t gotten a proper wink of sleep, so bedtime kid” he ushered her over to the bed and she sat down on the edge of it. “What?” he asked exasperatedly as she simply sat there and stared at him expectantly “I’m not tucking you in or anything” he warned and her face switched to one of utter confusion for a few seconds before going back to anxious “Alright alright I’ll get out” he huffed as she continued to stare at him. He padded over to the door and lowered the gas lamp to dim the room

“Where will you sleep?” she finally asked as he began to leave

“I won’t” he answered “I gotta make sure you don’t run off” he slipped out before popping his head back in “You need anything and I’ll be in the hallway got it?” she nodded and crawled over to the pillows where she finally lay down. He closed the door silently and sank down to the wooden floor with and exhausted sigh, back pressed against the wall.  _ I should’ve asked for extra since I knew I had to catch a kid. _ He let out a groan and buried his face in his hands  _ I’m no good with kids. I probably should’ve gotten Avery to do this job instead. She’s pretty good with kids, surprisingly. _ He rubbed his face and pulled out the energy elixir he’d gotten for this job, knowing he’d have to pull an all-nighter and a small paper-back to keep the boredom away. He sat at the doorway the whole night, occasionally hearing rustling from the other side and slipping down to the bar once or twice for a few minutes before rushing back to his post.

At long last, the sun began to stream in through the window at the end of the hall. He painfully got up, joints groaning and popping at the movement after hours of inactivity. He stretched for a few minutes and tied his hair back into its usual small ponytail. After giving one final yawn, he rapped softly at the door before opening it and poking his head in warily. The small figure on the bed sat up with a start and stared at him for a few moments before finally remembering who he was.

“Mornin’ kid” he greeted and turned up the lamp by the door “We gotta get a move on so- Tekhne child!” He exclaimed “You look even worse than yesterday!” in the new light he could see the light bags under her eyes had gotten darker “Stenme” he muttered as he made his way over “Did you even sleep last night??” she shook her head and yawned

“Jus a liitle” she slurred sleepily, rubbing her eyes “I’ mph ‘ine”  _ You’re really not. _ Malachi tried his best not to scream in frustration.

“Sure kid” he finally sighed, digging around in his cloak for a spare elixir. “Here” he handed her the glass vial filled with a green liquid “Take a sip of this. I can’t have you falling asleep on me” she took the vial eagerly and drank some, making a face at the sour flavor and coughing a bit.

“I prefer cherry” she muttered as she handed the vial back and Malachi gave a gasp of mock offence

“Apple is a perfectly good flavor” he defended as he put the elixir away  _ She’s had these before?? Doesn’t matter. The sooner I drop her off the sooner I get paid. _ “Whatever. Come on kid. Time to go.” She slumped at the reminder that she was, in fact, his prisoner and shuffled over to the bounty hunter. Taking her by the hand once more, he led them out of the inn and back into the streets. They made their way through the city, the girl surprisingly quiet up until they approached a stable

“Why are we walking? Can’t you rent a horse?” she asked

“The day you get me on one of those mechanical rides of death is the day I become a steam worker” Malachi scowled “Besides, those things eat your scraps like a real horse ate sugar cubes”

“Oh” she sounded a bit disappointed, but if he slowed down and edged close enough for her to get a good glimpse at them, well… that’s none of your business now is it?

Malachi was finding he actually tolerated the girl’s presence. She was quiet, kept mostly to herself, and didn’t try to run off or beg/cry like everyone else always did. He did however, notice she got tired a lot faster than kidnapped adults usually did so they had to make several stops for her to rest. During one of these little breaks, she broke the silence once more

“Are you sure you can’t kill him?” she asked, completely out of the blue and throwing Malachi for a loop again

“Once again kid” he sighed after calming himself down from his panic induced coughing fit “You don’t have the scraps”

“Please” she begged “I’ll pay you back! I promise!”

“With what scraps?!” he hissed back, eyes darting around nervously at the passing people hoping no one was listening in on their strange conversation

“I’ll do anything” she vowed “I’ll pay it all”  _ She isn’t gonna shut up about this is she. Stenme. What did her uncle do for her to want him dead this badly?? _

“Anything?” He repeated, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips  _ Maybe I can scare her off about this idea. _ She paled further and looked away nervously  _ Well that was easy- _

“Anything.” She repeated firmly, looking him dead in the eyes. Malachi noticed her determined stance on this and gave one last unhappy growl

“Fine. You know what? Fine.” he snapped “If it’ll shut you up about it I’ll do it” He held out his hand expectantly and the girl dropped her little pouch in his palm. He shook the money at her “I’m considering this a down payment got it?” she nodded and they shook on it “You’re paying back every last scrap you owe me. Is that understood?” she nodded again and gave him a small anxious smile.  _ I’ve just taken a job from a friggin 5-year-old. What has my life come to? _ He got up and tugged her to her feet “Avery is gonna have a real riot at this” He muttered to himself as he dragged the child after him.

After an hour or so of blessed silence from the girl, the tranquility was broken once again by the small sad rumble of a hungry stomach. Malachi looked down at the girl and she shrank away a bit

“I’m sorry” she apologized. He simply sighed and made his way over to a vendor’s booth that had some kind of food.  _ Can’t have my target client starving to death now can I?  _ He bought two small rolls of bread along with some cheap dried meat and offered most of it to the girl, keeping only one of the rolls for himself. She stared at the food in awe, practically drooling, but shook her head.

“You don’t have to get me anything.” she began “I’m not hungry-“ her stomach interrupted with an angry growl. She scowled at it in betrayal and Malachi couldn’t help but let out a snort of amusement

“Sure you’re not.” He teased, waving the food in front of her temptingly “Just take it.” She opened her mouth to protest but instead Malachi shoved the bread into her tiny mouth “Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll just add it to your tab” and with that she practically inhaled her meal  _ When was the last time she ate?  _ “Tekhne kid.” He muttered “At least chew before swallowing” She blinked at him in gratitude, small cheeks puffed out with bread before finally swallowing. The girl gave a little hum of satisfaction and trailed alongside him, gnawing away at her strip of meat happily. The two walked in comfortable silence until sundown once more.

_ We could probably make it in the morning if we walked through the night… _ He glanced down at the child barely able to stand next to him.  _ Nope. Not unless I’m willing to carry her the entire time which I am  _ ** _not_ ** _ . Looks like we’re getting a room again.  _ He paid for their accommodations and set her inside.

“Try to get some sleep tonight” he told her when she sat on the edge of the bed as if waiting for something, much like the night before. She watched him suspiciously as he made his way to the door and dimmed the lamps. “I mean it” he shut the door behind him softly and once again sank to the floor, completely exhausted. He sat on the floor for about an hour in a tired daze before finally stretching himself out. “I guess I could take a little cat nap” he murmured to himself. He adjusted himself so that his body was pressed against the door and he could rest his head on the doorframe. Setting the timer on his brass bracelet for two hours, Malachi promptly passed out.

He awoke with a start when he felt a strange vibration on his wrist. Jumping to his feet in a blind panic, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was and why he was there. He gave an annoyed little grumble and slapped the vibrating device on his arm to shut it off. The hallway he was in was now dark, lamps having been dimmed a while ago. Malachi tried stretching his poor joints out, groaning at how stiff they were because of the awkward position he’d been sleeping in. _Maybe I can sneak in and sleep on the floor. _He silently slipped the door open and poked his head in. “Are you kidding me??” he hissed. There, sitting in the middle of the bed wide awake, was the girl. She turned her head fearfully at the sound of the door sliding open before relaxing ever so slightly when she realized it was Malachi. “Do you know what time it is?!?” he whisper yelled at her “Go. To. SLEEP.” She simply blinked at him dazedly. “I swear to Stenme kid. If you don’t get under those covers right now I will knock you out myself” He threatened. The girl gave him a suspicious squint before crawling to the head of the bed and sitting there instead. _Oh for hells sake._ Malachi slipped the rest of himself inside the room and closed the door behind him.

She flashed him a small smile but he simply scowled in annoyance and crossed his arms. “Don’t give me that bullshit” he snapped and she flinched in surprise “Covers. Now.” The girl did as she was ordered, quite obviously confused.

“Now what?” she asked.  _ WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOW WHAT??!  _ Malachi rubbed his temples in the effort to relieve the headache he was starting to get from this whole ordeal

“Now you close your eyes and GO TO SLEEP!” he grit out quietly between clenched teeth. She only stared back at him, blue eyes meeting hazel ones. “Close ‘em!” she snapped her eyes shut before cracking one of them open warily “I can see that. Both of them closed.” The final glint of blue disappeared under her eyelid and Malachi gave a satisfied huff “Good. Now stay like that ‘til morning” he ordered and walked back out of the room, resisting the urge to slam his forehead against the wall repeatedly once he was out. He waited another 2 hours outside the room, re-reading the book he’d packed before finally risking cracking the door open again.

A dim sliver of light poured in and landed on the peaceful face of the now sleeping child on the bed.  _ Thank you Tekhne, Stenme, stars and anyone else out there actually listening.  _ Malachi couldn’t help the small relieved smile he made as he watched her sleeping.  _ She looks like a normal kid when she’s asleep. How cute. _ He gave a start of surprise before shaking his head frantically to clear his mind of such thoughts.  _ RULE NUMBER TWO! RULE NUMBER TWO!  _ He closed the door silently and calmed himself down.  _ She’s just a job. That’s it. Nothing more. Just a way to get money. That’s. All. _ He kept up this argument with himself until the first rays of sun began to light up the inn.

When Malachi woke the girl up that morning he didn’t greet her like he had the day before, he didn’t speak to her throughout breakfast except to tell her to hurry up. They walked in tandem silence the whole day, Malachi ignoring her feeble attempts of conversation until she got the message and quieted. They began to get nearer and nearer to the shadier side of the city and the girl got more and more restless, eyes darting around nervously and wisely clinging to Malachi more closely as the streets grew darker.

Although he didn’t mind his job, Malachi  _ hated _ where they usually led him to. So when the address he was given led him to a place like  _ this _ ?? He wasn’t happy but not too surprised.  _ She lives here? Well at least she has a home… if you’d even call this place a home. _ By this point, the girl at his side was beginning to tremble slightly but he ignored her obvious discomfort and pressed forward to rap on the solid yet worn door. A small slot slid open with a clack and part of a woman’s face peeked through.

“How may I help you sir~” she purred, sultry voice seeping through the window along with the smell of alcohol, drugs and other pleasures.

“I’m here on business with Sloan.” He responded, clipped and firm, making sure she understood he was simply here on a job and  _ nothing _ more. “Could you go get him for me?” The woman did a double take in surprise, welcoming eyes now guarded and cold as they raked over him, scrutinizing everything they saw. Her eyes finally landed on the girl beside him and for an instant she seemed … concerned? Scared? The moment passed however, and Malachi would have usually brushed it off as a trick of the dim light except... 

“Ah… he’s actually not here at the moment-” she responded loftily, voice slightly edged with panic. He narrowed his eyes in doubt. _ Lie. _

“ _ Actually _ ” He snapped, patience thinning from the days of travel “I think he is.” The two glared at each other for a while

“Bounty hunter” she recognized scornfully, the way one would refer to a piece of trash on the side of the road. He bit back the much harsher names he could have responded with, settling on just baring his teeth in a snarl instead. The slot slid closed with a snap, the move filled with unspoken detestation. Malachi simply gave a huff of annoyance, foot tapping impatiently as the minutes ticked by. He’d halfway made up his mind to knock again when the door finally opened.

A few scantily dressed women peered out of the doorway at the duo standing there, eyes darting from child to hunter and back again. There was a small commotion from the room behind and the ladies scurried out of the way as a portly man in a filthy white shirt and leather vest stepped out with obvious glee on his face. Short was not the way one would describe the man but compared to the lean bounty hunter towering over him, the man seemed almost miniscule.

“Well its about time!” he rumbled, baring a smile that seemed to be missing a few teeth and didn’t quite match the look in his eyes. “Ah! I see you’ve found my precious niece” he exclaimed, hungry gaze falling on the child cowering next to Malachi. As he reached out to grab the girl the hunter pulled her behind him, out of reach of the man’s sweaty hands. Sloan looked up at the hunter with noticeable annoyance that he was still there, having already served his purpose “What is it?” he snapped. Malachi held back the urge to growl like a feral dog at the man, wanting more than anything to get the hell out of there. Only rule number one was keeping him rooted there. Get paid and finish the job.

“My pay” he barked and the man’s face fell a bit before collecting himself.

“Right. That.” came the gritted response. He begrudgingly pulled out a leather pouch from around his belt and tossed it over to the hunter who caught it mid-air. Malachi quickly counted the scraps and put the money safely away in his cloak. “Are we done?”

“I believe so” he answered and without warning, unceremoniously shoved the girl behind him to the front. She gave an undignified squawk as she tumbled forward and into the man’s grip. The girl shot the hunter a look of utter dismay and betrayal.

“We shook on it!” she yelled at him furiously, trying to duck out of the awkward head pats probably meant to be comforting her uncle was trying to give her. Sloan looked at Malachi curiously.

“Shook on what?” he asked but Malachi simply shrugged

“No clue.” He replied with feigned obliviousness. “Sorry kiddo, but my job was simply to bring you here and turn you over. Always have to finish a job you know. Bad for business if I leave a job unfinished mid-way” She simply gaped at him with a jilted look before tearing away from her uncle’s side and rushing into the arms of one of the women watching in the doorway with wary smiles.

“Take her inside Brandy” Sloan barked and the woman led the girl into the dark, smoky room. He turned to follow them inside when Malachi let out a small groan of relief

“Thank the stars that’s over” he sighed stretching out his limbs casually

“She give you much trouble?” Sloan smirked “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s properly punished”

“There’s no need for that” he laughed “Didn’t cause too much of a ruckus… there  _ is _ just one thing…” he tapped a finger on his mouth thoughtfully “I feel like I’m forgetting something…” he snapped his fingers in mock realization “Oh right! She had a little surprise for you!” The hefty man seemed completely at loss as the hunter approached him nonchalantly

“What??” Malachi leaned in as if about to divulge a secret with him and the other couldn’t help but lean in interestedly. Behind his back, out of sight of his ex-client, a small sharp blade silently made its way out of the folds of a sleeve. Another hand clamped down like a vise on the shorter man’s shoulder as the hunter leaned in next to his ear

“She says to drop dead” He monotoned and with a single swift and practiced motion, drove the blade into his stomach. The new target’s eyes widened with shock but before he could even scream in pain, a second knife was pulled out and slashed across his throat. Sloan staggered back, clutching his wounds and trying to gargle something out, a final insult or curse, but all that came out was the sputtering of blood, staining the barely white shirt a dark crimson maroon. There were yelps of surprise from the two women still standing at the door patiently when the man finally fell, twitching and bleeding.

Malachi quietly cleaned his knives on the inside of his cloak as the two females cautiously made their way over to the felled body, poking it experimentally with their heels. The wary smiles they’d previously worn warped into something feral and cruel, wild grins that showed too many teeth all at once. The brunette one gave a harsh bark of laughter and dealt an unforgiving kick to her former employer’s body.

“It’s about time the bastard got done in.” The other, a redhead, snarled before hacking and spitting on the corpse “Good riddance” The two turned to the hunter with sickening saccharine smiles plastered on their ruby lips.  _ Oh Tekhne. Remind me never to piss off a prostitute. _

The brunette raced over to the door and yelled something inside. Almost immediately a gaggle of people, men and women alike, were pressing at the doorway to get a better look, to see for themselves that the devil was dead. The small girl wiggled through their legs and froze at the sight of the bloodied carcass. She gripped on tightly to the hand of another woman, not the one who’d taken her inside, and began to cry. The woman knelt down in front of her and spoke quiet comforting words to her, things Malachi couldn’t make out in the din.

“Ah. I’m sorry for killing your employer” He apologized to the red head but she just gave him a grim smile.

“We’ll be fine” she sighed “He never really did run the place. Just showed up to take his earnings and his pick” she spat at the last part. He waited in silence for a while until the girl seemed to have calmed down, now with a small smile before making his way over

“Alright kid let’s go.” He ordered “Pack whatever you have and come on” The women surrounding the child gave him a perplexed look.

“What are you talking about-” the one who’d recently been comforting her questioned suspiciously before being cut off by Malachi holding up a tiny, familiar money pouch.

“I don’t do kills out of the kindness of my heart” he snapped before gesturing to the girl “Tiny here promised to pay me back and I intend on getting my due’s worth” The lady scowled and bared her teeth protectively, others beginning to do the same.

“You must be out of your mind if you think we’re gonna let you-“

“A deal’s a deal.” He interrupted, unmoving in his decision. “ Besides, a brothel is no place for a child, not even you can deny this.“ the woman gave a begrudging growl and loosened her grip on the girl. She knew he had a point. He turned to the child “Let’s go kid.” The child stood up and wrung her hands nervously.

“Pay you back?”

“You promised kiddo” he snorted and turned to leave.

“Wouldn’t it be better in here?” she shyly asked gesturing to the building behind her.

“What in Stenme’s name are you talking about-“ he snapped before it clicked. Everything fell into place and an uncharacteristic flush spread across his face at the realization that his version of paying back and her version were two _completely_ different things. The workers around him laughed as he buried his face in his hands in humiliation. “No” he murmured “Nononononono child heavens no oh stars above  _ no _ ”

“What?” she asked innocently

“No. Just. No.” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose “I meant you’d be working it off as in  _ actual _ work” she blinked in surprise

“Oh.” Malachi buried his face in the folds of his cloak and gave a muffled scream before finally taking a deep breath and collecting himself, face still burning.

“Let’s just go” he muttered in defeat and began to make his way back to the main road. After a minute or two of waiting by the end of the path, he finally heard the pitter patter of small feet behind him. “took you long enough” he huffed. She simply flashed him a small smile and trotted alongside the tall man.

“Where are we going”

“The guild. I need a new job” he explained before adding “And a couple drinks to erase this one” he mumbled.

“Okay!” she chirped brightly. He glanced down at the filthy blonde child  _ Okay, first thing’s first. You need a bath. And new clothes.  _ He looked at the worn slippers she wore  _ And new shoes _ .

Malachi Alois was not a good man. But the way the girl at his side stared at him like he’d hung the moon and stars let him believe, even if it was just a moment, that he was.

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! thank you for reading and plz go check out the rest of my works!
> 
> [ My Tumblr](https://crazytobedoingthis.tumblr.com/)


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